These pictures of Egg Island (above) and Sandy Neck (below) aren't technically photos of "Cape Cod beaches". They're photos of little islands of sand that appear and disappear with the falling and rising of the tide.

Egg Island - For as long as I can remember, Egg Island has been a favorite with locals and visitors alike, for picnics, swimming and sunbathing.

How do you get there?

Boat across the bay from Hyannis, paddle your kayak over from Mill Creek ... or hitch a ride from the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport with Governor Schwarzenegger.

(Just kidding about the ride with the Gov. Since he and Maria Shriver have split, I doubt we'll see Arnold anywhere near Egg Island. But this spot is a favorite summer hang-out for other members of the famous Kennedy clan!)

Sandy Neck in West Barnstable, MA (Cape Cod Bay)

Sandy Neck - On this 6 mile long Cape Cod beach, pictures just can't compare to the real thing.

I took this photo down by the point, near the entrance to Barnstable Harbor. In this area, soft white sandbars pop up just offshore when the tide goes out. And with the summer sun high in the sky, the water sparkles a luscious Caribbean blue green.

South Cape Beach is a little out of the way, at the end of Great Oak Road in Mashpee. But it's well worth the drive - or boat ride - to get there!

Race Point in Provincetown, MA (Atlantic Ocean)

The stunning views, plus the possibility (likelihood!) of seeing whales breaching just offshore, make Race Point in Provincetown a favorite Cape Cod beach for photos, beach-walking, and hanging out with a good book.

As you can see in this pic, there's a building in the background. That's the Old Harbor Lifesaving Station - an historic, 100+ year-old building that housed U.S. Life Saving Service and U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving equipment, until it was discontinued in 1944.

During August and September, the Lifesaving Station is open to the public from 2:30-5:30 p.m. On Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m., Cape Cod National Seashore Park Rangers reenact the Beach Apparatus Drill - the heroic procedure once used to rescue mariners shipwrecked off the coast.